Promoting entrepreneurship among young researchers

The i-PhD competition aims to:

    •    Attract young PhD graduates to create start-ups related to their thesis;
    •    Strengthen the maturation and financing mechanisms dedicated to deep tech start-ups, connect projects to commercialization partners (SATT, complementary SATT experiments, subsidiaries of research organizations, etc.), and involve start-ups in new financing tools;
    •    Integrate young PhD winners into a one-year entrepreneurship support and training program;
    •    Increase their visibility within their ecosystem and their home institutions to develop a culture of entrepreneurship within their laboratories.

Each winner will benefit from a support program enabling them to accelerate their project.

 

Paul Savignac, PhD student at IMT Mines Albi, winner of the i-PhD 2024 award

Paul Savignac, a trained boilermaker and member of the Compagnons du Devoir craft guild, graduated with an engineering degree from IMT Mines Albi in 2021. He decided to continue his studies by enrolling in the Industrial Engineering Center to pursue a PhD. His thesis topic is “Towards flow-oriented management of education systems.” Paul Savignac is also receiving support from the IMT Mines Albi technology incubator to help him bring his business creation project to fruition. The i-PhD competition launched in 2019 by the government and run by Bpifrance is a real opportunity for him to give his entrepreneurial project a boost.